Refurbishment planned after sale of converted riverside warehouse

A former riverside warehouse which was built nearly 150 years ago is to add to the appeal of Hull’s urban living scene after being bought by an investor and developer.

New North Bridge House, which was initially converted into apartments in the late 1980s, will undergo a complete refurbishment under the new owners. The value of their investment has not been disclosed, but the asking price was £1.1 million.

Hull-based commercial and residential agents Garness Jones sold the building on behalf of the construction company which carried out the original conversion. They will now retain a management role under the new owners.

Hans Nieuwkerk, Residential Director at Garness Jones, said:

It is an exciting opportunity – a building with real character in a great location on the fringe of the city centre and the Old Town.

“Most of the 25 apartments are occupied at the moment and will be fully refurbished as they become vacant. Work will begin straight away on those which are unoccupied, and on the communal areas.”

Hans said the property is part of a varied portfolio under the management of Garness Jones, including Queens Court above the BBC building and the riverside locations, Trinity Wharf in High Street and Tradewinds, next to Hull College.

It was built in Charlotte Street by R G Smith in 1870 as a ships supplies warehouse. It was listed Grade II in 1994, about five years after the conversion for residential use. Five flats are one-bedroom and the remaining 20 are two-bedroom, with potential for further development in the roof space above the five floors.

Paul White, Agency Director at Garness Jones, said:

We sold the property as an investment and the level of interest reflected the growing demand for city centre living in Hull.

“In addition to the properties which are already available through our residential department we are working on a number of new opportunities. Earlier this year we sold the former Chinese Buffet site and the former TSB bank in the city centre as well as King William House in the Old Town. All three will provide a mix of commercial and residential accommodation.

There is a lot of residential development in the city centre and it is driven by the fact that there is much more going on, partly as a result of City of Culture activities and also because more people are choosing to live and work in the centre.